Vacaville neighborhood treated to winged display of nature

Each night around dusk, a pair of trees off Bowline Drive in Vacaville begin to dip and sway and flow.

It's a familiar dance of just under two months, residents say, as flocks of White-tailed kite swoop into the boughs and roost.

"There were about 40 to 60 for awhile," said Alisa Cromer, who has witnessed the fly-ins. "We've lived here for 10 years and this is the first time they're migrating through."

At first blush, Cromer said she wasn't sure what was swarming in the neighborhood trees. So she pulled out some high-powered binoculars to get a better look and flipped through bird images to identify the graceful creatures. She hit on the White-tailed kite and was a bit floored to find that they're not an ordinary species.

"They're birds of prey," Cromer shared.

Indeed they are, with a predilection for small rodents, according to Monique Liguori, executive director of the Suisun Wildlife Center.

"They're great to have around because they eat mice," she said.

Asked whether residents have anything to fear from the snowy-bodied birds with silvery-gray wings that darken to ebony at the tips, Liguori answered in the negative.

"They're pretty shy birds," she said. "They're not going to go after anybody."

Or anyone's cats or dogs, for that matter, even those of the tiny, ankle-biter variety.

For those wondering why the White-tailed kite has paid a visit to Vacaville, Liguori explained that they're common in North America and are plentiful in the Suisun City marshlands.

Turns out they also like coastal areas and frequent the Bay Area, as well. But back in the 1930s and 1940s, the birds were killed to near extinction, and only in recent years have their numbers re-surged.

Weather, it seems, might also be contributing to the birds' presence in town.

"This is the time of year when birds are moving about," Liguori said, adding that Vacaville is likely along the White-tailed kite's migratory path.

She encourages residents to simply enjoy the feathered creatures while they're here and maybe snap a photo or two.

"They're kind of high-strung birds," she said, "But they sure are gorgeous."